Surface vaporizer with water repelling vaporization surface



United States Patent Inventor Peter Moyat Bergen-Enkheim, Germany App]. No. 731,655 Filed May 23, 1968 Patented Nov. 17, 1970 Assignee Otto Heinrich Drager Lubeck, Germany SURFACE VAPORIZER WITH WATER REPELLING VAPORIZATION SURFACE [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,128,764 4/1964 Koehn 128/188 3,340,341 9/1967 Bruder 264/248 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,039,404 8/1966 Great Britain 128/188 Primary Examiner-Richard A. Gau'det Assistant Examiner-G. F. Dunne Attorney-Stephens, Huettig & O'Connell ABSTRACT: vaporization surfaces or elements of inhalation narcotic vaporizers are made of halogenated synthetic resins which are water repellent so that the surfaces do not become deactivated by films of water.

2 Claims, 1 Drawing Fig.

11.8. (I 128/188; 261/99 rm. cl A61m 17 00 Field ofSearch 128/188, 189, 190, 191, 187, 186',55/233,234; 261/99, 104, 107

Patented Nov. 17, 1970 INVENTOR awr dwell ATTORNEYS I SURFACE VAPORIZER WlTII WATER REPELLING VAPORIZATION SURFACE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The invention relates to the field of inhalation narcotic devices.

2. Description of the Prior Art In inhalation anesthesia there have been used to an increasing extent as the anesthetic or narcotic, halogenated hydrocarhens and ether, which afford, in addition to good narcosis properties, above all, the advantage of being neither combustible nor explodable.

These materials are vaporized, in the main, in special vaporizers which are arranged in the fresh gas inlet of the inhalation equipment. The fresh gas, which consists mostly of oxygen or of nitrous oxide-oxygen mixtures, is withdrawn from pressurized bottles of the gas and, consequently, it is practically free of water vapor.

If, on the other hand, one wishes to vaporize these halogenated inhalation narcotics inside ofthe anesthetic circulation system by means of so-called surface or wick Vaporizers, as is customarily done with diethylether, then the active vaporization surfaces are inactivated at once by being coated with liquid water, since the halogenated substances are specifically heavier than water. In addition, there have been used as the wick materials in such surface Vaporizers gauzes made of natural or synthetic fibers which have no specific water repelling properties. The vaporization of the halogenated narcosis agents in the narcotic circulation system may also be object to, however, for another reason. During the continuous circulation of the gases an uncontrollable increase of the concentration of the gases can arise which can lead to an overdosage of the narcotic which is dangerous to the patient. Because of this, such Vaporizers may find use only in combination with a metering device for each specific narcotic.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The object of the present invention is to provide means for the use of surface vaporizers within the narcotic circulation system of inhalation narcotic devices so that the surfaces do not become deactivated by films ofwater.

The essence of the present invention resides in the useofvaporization surfaces and elements, in inhalation narcotic devices, which are made of synthetic resins which have water repellent properties.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The drawing shows, in section, a vaporizer which contains an embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT cially as Teflon resin).

Thus, in accordance with the present invention. by suitable shaping of the active vaporization surfaces and elements it is provided that the water is depositedon such surfaces in beads and flows therefrom, but not, however, so as to flow into the storage container for the liquid narcotic. The placement of the vaporizer inside the narcotic circulation system is so arranged that the circulation system is provided with threaded couplings, which do not match any of the parts of the usual narcosis devices with the exception of the threaded joints of the narcotic metering device and special reducers or' connectors of the narcosis device. g

The devices of the present invention maybe'further explained by reference to the drawing which shows, in section, a narcotic vaporizer. The vaporizer is fastened to other elements ofthe narcotic circulation system by means of screw or threaded members I and 2. The narcotic metering device'is screwed into the'internally threaded member I. On the externally. threaded member 2 there may be screwed different juncture members for accomodating different types of narcosis devices, as for example, cones of different diameters of special threaded joints.

The vaporizer housing is divided into two concentrically running inner chambers 3 and 4. Lower chamber 3 serves as a storage container for the liquid narcotic which is transported into upper vaporization chamber 4 by means of capillary force through several concentrically arranged porous rods 5 which are made of one of the water repellent synthetic resin materials referred to above.

Also, in order to increase the active vaporization surface of chamber 4, at least a portion of the surface is coated with a porous coating'6 of the same type of water repellent synthetic resin as is used for rod 5.

The known way of arranging flaps or valves for the selective or partial partitioning of the flow of gas through the vaporizer are only shown in general and not in detail. Thus, a regulatable gas-current dividing flap 7, which is rotatable on an axle 8, may be so used as to either allowthe gas stream 10 entering from below to pass through the vaporization chamber 4 unhindered, as is shown in the drawing by the arrows depicting the flow of such gas stream, or the flap can be used to divert a por- 1 tion of the gas stream through vaporization. chamber 4 and allow theremainder of the stream to pass through the vaporizer without enteringthe vaporization chamber. The regulating screw which is accessible from the outside of the vaporizer and which is used for the operation of a gas flow partitioning device is not shown.

In order to render the filling level of the narcotic in storage chamber 3 visible; the chamber is enclosed by an annular glass cylinder 9 Filling connections, drainage connections, as well as ventilator-canals for the narcotic storage chamber are also not shown.

lclaim:

l. Ina surface vaporizer for a narcotic circulation system comprising a narcotic liquid supply chamber. a vaporizing chamber having active vaporizing surfaces, and porous liquid 

